The Boston Red Sox experienced some turbulence at the start of the 2025 season, and nobody enjoyed it quite as much as baseball fans in the Bronx. While the New York Yankees began the season with 36 runs in a three-game series sweep over the Milwaukee Brewers, the Red Sox opened the regular season with four losses in their first five games. Rain clouds began to form in Boston as the club fell to a 1-4 record, but the Red Sox started to stabilize at the turn of the month.
While Yankees fans enjoyed a few days of Boston's suffering, the glee is quickly dissipating. The Red Sox had their first day off on April 1, and they have won six straight games since then. After hours of rain delays and a full postponement on Saturday, Boston closed out a series sweep against the St. Louis Cardinals with a doubleheader on Sunday. The Red Sox rallied back from a 4-2 deficit in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader to seal a 5-4 victory with Wilyer Abreau's first career walk-off in the 10th inning.
Just a couple of hours later, the Red Sox closed out the series in emphatic fashion and peppered the Cardinals with an offensive barrage. Boston dominated the Cardinals in an 18-7 victory, which included nine doubles all before the eighth inning. The Red Sox now lead the majors with 25 doubles ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are currently second with 23.
Red Sox are heating up and the rotation should only get stronger
Perhaps the most impressive part of Boston's winning streak is that they are yet to be at full strength. The Red Sox fielded a patchwork pitching rotation to start the season as starters Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito and Kutter Crawford have been on the injured list.
Bello made his second rehab start at Triple-A Worcester, while Giolito is scheduled to make his second rehab start on Tuesday. Crawford, however, may still need some time before making his 2025 debut due to patellar tendinopathy in his right knee. The 29-year-old has been throwing bullpen sessions on Tuesdays and Fridays in Boston, but he has not yet faced hitters since camp opened. Although the pain has lessened, rest won't completely fix the issue. Surgery is currently not on the table and Crawford is expected to return sometime in May or June, per MassLive.
The Red Sox have anchored their rotation with Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck and Walker Buehler. Richard Fitts and Sean Newcomb has filled in the No. 4 and No. 5 spots. If the Red Sox keep playing the way they have been, the return of Bello, Giolito and Crawford should strike some fear in fans at Yankee Stadium.
While the Red Sox are starting to gel, the Yankees have already started to cool down. The Bronx Bombers have lost three of their past six games, including lost two of three games against the Diamondbacks. New York nearly pulled off a series sweep against the Pittsburgh Pirates but fell short in 11 innings. A three-run ninth inning sent the game to extra innings but New York's hitters have had a tougher time finding runs than they did in the opening series against Milwaukee.
Boston's slew of injuries was accompanied by a grueling stretch to start the season — the Red Sox are playing 20 games in just 21 days. Along with getting healthier, they will find more days off later down the road. Between May 15 and Aug. 14, the Red Sox will have every Thursday off except for two home matchups, one each against the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays. A healthy rotation, along with more rest, should set up Boston for a strong push in the second half of the season.